Clarinet

            
            
             The first form of the clarinet was available in western Europe in the 17th century in.
             various pitches and was commonly called chalumeau. "The word chalumeau is of French origin.
             and is a generic name for any small reed-blown pipe.(Rice30)- The clarinet is a woodwind.
             instrument consisting of a cylindrical wood, metal, or ebonite pipe with a bell-shaped opening at.
             one end and a mouthpiece at the other end, to which a thin reed is attached. The clarinet has five.
             different sections, the mouthpiece, the barrel, the upper section, the lower section, and the bell.
             The length of the entire instrument is 60 cm long. The mouthpiece section consists of a slotted.
             cylinder, to which a reed is attached by a metal clamp called a ligature. The mouthpiece plugs.
             into the next section which is a barrel. The barrel is simply a connecting cylinder to which the.
             mouthpiece and the upper section plugs into. .
             The upper section is a cylindrical pipe consisting of 4 holes and 9 keys placed in different.
             locations along the pipe. On the back of the pipe there is a hole and a key that is used by the.
             thumb. The lower section plugs into the upper section and is also connected via a special bridge.
             key. This piece consists of 3 holes and 8 keys. On the inward facing side of the pipe, there is a.
             protruding piece of metal called a thumb rest, which supports the entire clarinet. The bell plugs.
             into the lower section. It consists of a cylinder that flares out into a bell shape and ends the.
             clarinet. Clarinets are mainly made of African blackwood, metal, or a special hard plastic called.
             ebonite. The keys on the clarinet are made of metal. The mouthpiece is mainly made of ebonite.
             The ligature is made of metal. The reed is made of cane.
             "The first form of the clarinet was made around the late seventeenth century. By the mid-.
             eighteenth century, the five key clarinet became standard -(Rice 4). In 1844, the clarinet was.
             further revised into what we know of it today.